Aftermath of Pain Invasion - Naruhina Ending
by MakorraGal312
Summary: What if the arc didn't end with the Naruto/Sakura hug? What if it ended with a little Naruhina moment instead? Please be sure to review and fave! :)


It's over. It's finally over. Naruto has finally defeated Pain! The Akatsuki has finally been COMPLETELY weakened thanks to Pain's death. The entire village gathered together to see Naruto. One of the people that was in the crowd was a certain Hyuga who always had feeling for the blonde-haired shinobi.

Hinata was standing far away in the back of the crowd near a tree. She would still be able to see Naruto through the crowd but that wasn't the reason for her feeling left out. She knows that as soon as Naruto comes back, he's gonna go right back to being head over heels for Sakura. He'll probably forget about her sacrificing herself to protect him and nearly getting killed.

"Stop trying, Hinata. He'll never feel the same way about you." Hinata whispered to herself. Tears started to spill from the shy shinobi's eyes and she cradled herself while leaning against the tree. She didn't care if people saw her crying, she just wanted to be alone, knowing that she WILL be alone. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Hinata looked up to find her older cousin, Neji.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Neji asked with concern.

"Oh. Hi Neji. I'm f-fine." Hinata replied starting to cry again.

"Not if you're crying. What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just that I'm worried that after everything I did for N-Naruto during the battle with Pain, he'll forget all about it and he will once again look at me as just a weird friend, even after I confessed my love to him."

"What? Hinata don't talk like that! There's no way that Naruto would forget about the sacrifice you made for him. You nearly died trying to protect him and a person who does that is someone who is loyal and really cares about that person. If Naruto can't see how special you are, then he really is an idiot!"

Hinata smiled. Neji was right. She didn't agree with the last part but she does know that nearly getting killed for Naruto shows him that Hinata does love him and that she is a loyal friend. Hinata finally stood up.

"You're right, Neji. Thank you." Hinata said gratefully as she hugged her cousin who hugged her back.

"Don't worry. Everything is going to work out." Neji whispered confidently. Suddenly, someone shouted.

"Naruto's back!" The cousins released from their embrace as they finally saw the blonde-haired warrior arrive. Everyone started to cheer with glee and little children started to surround Naruto, causing him to squirm trying to get out. Suddenly, they saw Sakura walking up to Naruto.

"What's Sakura doing?" Neji asked. Hinata looked and saw that Sakura was hugging Naruto. Worried that he might hug her back, Hinata turned around and began to cry again.

"Don't worry, Hinata. I got this." Neji said quickly. As he was walking towards the front of the crowd, he finally noticed that Sakura WAS hugging him. The weird part was that Naruto wasn't hugging her back at all. He was just looking around the crowd like crazy.

"Naruto." Neji shouted. Sakura finally released her grip on Naruto, in which Naruto looked relieved.

"Neji! What's wrong?" Naruto asked quickly. Neji walked Naruto over to a tree so that no one would hear their conversation.

"Hinata is really upset. She's worried that after all she did for you during the battle, you'll forget about it." Neji whispered firmly. Naruto was shocked.

"WHAT?! Why would I forget about that? I freakin care about Hinata with all my heart and when she confessed her love for me, I was shocked yet I felt the same way! In case you forgot, I went "crazy" when Pain stabbed her. After I found out she was okay, I freakin cried! That shows how much I care." Naruto replied. Neji was shocked, but he was also relieved.

"How are you going to tell Hinata?" Neji asked. Naruto want back to the center in front of the crowd.

"Everybody! As you probably know, I have defeated the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain." Naruto shouted. The crowd started to cheer loudly again until Naruto raised his hand, indicating that he wasn't finished. He started walking in the crowd. Hinata saw this and was about to leave.

"But I didn't do this alone. There is one person in this crowd who I owe my life for saving me. They had the courage to stand up to Pain and protect me and nearly died in the process. She is a friend of mine who I've grown to admire and appreciate, and now she's someone I've grown to fall in love with. I hope that I get the chance to thank her. Hinata Hyuga!" Naruto said, finally making it to her. Hinata turned around to find the crowd and Naruto staring at her.

"That's right. The beautiful shy girl standing near that tree in the back of this crowd." Naruto said while smiling. Naruto walked towards Hinata and held her hand. Naruto was surprised that Hinata hasn't fainted yet, but he was still waiting for it.

"Hinata. If you're okay with this, will you be my girlfriend?" Naruto asked nervously. The entire crowd started to murmur until Tenten and Sakura told them to shut up. Suddenly, Hinata starts to cry and hugs Naruto, being careful not to choke him. Naruto was shocked at first, but he managed to hug her back.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend! I love you, Naruto!" Hinata replied happily.

"I love you, too, Hinata." Naruto replied back. Hinata released him and then kissed Naruto full on the mouth, to which he kissed her back without question. The entire crowd started to cheer and all of the shinobi were happy and were cheering as well, even Sakura! Neji crossed his arms and smiled.

"Naruto, maybe you're not an idiot after all."


End file.
